I hated feeling like I was losing my best friend. Tears filled my eyes again and I failed to keep them from escaping. A stray tear rolled down my cheek, his eyes zeroed in and he leaned down until his lips pressed close to my own. His lips kissed the tear before he wiped it away with his thumb.
“I’m Levi, the same guy you’ve known since we were both in diapers. Always have been, always will be,” he whispered.
“No, you’re Levi, the ass,” I choked.
“I’m yours and that’s what matters. I promised you that I would be whatever you needed. Be that an ass, your friend, or more. My selfishness… allowed me to hope for more and… I’m sorry if you regret what’s happened this weekend, but I don’t. I don’t regret a second of it. I’d do it again if given the chance,” Levi murmured.
My lip trembled as I realized how much I’ve fallen for him and how impossible it was for us. Vampires and werewolves did not mix, they barely fraternized with each other. Mating? That wasn’t and wouldn’t be a possibility for us. The two of us wouldn’t be allowed to stay with our packs… or covens. Getting out of this with our lives would be miracle enough. Levi and I would never be allowed to be together when they found out. They as in my pack and they as in his coven. Goddess, they couldn’t be far from us right now. Goddess, we were in the middle of a war right now! I couldn’t let myself get swept away by his words right now. His hair tickled my cheek, but I Refused to get distracted by the need to wrap his hair around my finger.
“Now that you know what I am, do you see me differently?” Levi asked.
“Where is your coven? Don’t you have one of those to report to?” I asked.
“You come first before everything. I report to no one,” Levi growled.
“You didn’t answer my question, Levi.”
“You didn’t answer mine first,” he said gruffly.
Levi’s red eyes were… sad as he looked down at me. I pushed against his chest gently, but he got up and moved back. That was the thing about Levi, he never did anything I didn’t want. He always listened to me, always put me first, and never pressured me. How could I fault him the first time he showed me that he was perfect, or the first time he did something that hurt me?
My issue was with the fact that he’d been hiding this from me for years. My body shook and my shoulders trembled as I sat up. I took deep breaths as I stared at the fireplace. His question repeated in my mind as I fought the urge to look at him. I knew that if I did before I was ready that I would crawl into his arms. I could feel his gaze on the side of my face, but I focused on the yellow and orange colors as they danced across from me.
“Is that even a question? How could I see you differently? You’re Levi, always have been and always will be,” I choked. “It’s the fact that you knew what I was and kept it from me. One of the things that brought me and Dylan together was the fact that we were both wolves. He was the only person at school who knew what I was. I know I kept that I was a werewolf from you, but that was for your safety because I thought you were human! We are forbidden from exposing ourselves to humans. The one exception being that we have a human mate… So what’s your excuse, Levi? What was so important that you had to lie to me for every day for the last how many years?” I asked. My voice rose with each sentence. I kept my eyes trained forward on the flames that crackled and popped. Levi didn’t move, nor did he speak. He let me vent, but that only made me angrier. “Was it fun watching me? That day in the classroom, you knew Dylan was hurting me even before you asked, didn’t you?” I asked. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I turned to look at my best friend. “You wanted me to say it out loud. Why? Why would you fillet me open and make me bear myself to you?”
“I wanted you to know that I was still here for you. I wasn’t trying to cut you open and force you to speak. I wanted you to know that I wanted to help and that you had my ear if you needed to talk to someone. I hoped that you would know that you had mine. I wanted you to find your voice and the fire you used to have. I hoped that you would ask me for help. I have no excuses to give, Ami. Only the truth. I knew you were a wolf from a young age, but I didn’t hate you for it, nor did I judge you. It was just one more thing that I loved about you,” he said.
“So why?” I asked.
“I had no choice but to face the reality of us when my father took me away,” Levi said.
“And what was it? This reality?” I asked.
“It’s… more complicated than you would think,” he murmured.
“You mean more secrets,” I said.
“From a young age, I knew that I was in a position that would get you killed. I was a child, Amia who found out that I was a danger to the one person that meant the world to me. I did what I could to keep you safe. I did the only thing I could to keep you alive. Even if it meant staying away from you, even if it meant standing on the sidelines and watching you with someone else!” Levi growled.
With each sentence that fell from his lips, he moved closer. He was now towering over me, his face an inch from my face, but I held my place. I didn’t hide my anger, my frustration, or my pain as I glared up at him. His hand came out and gripped my chin. I let him pull me closer and my eyes darted to his lips before back up to the fiery pools that screamed I was his.